Future requirements to be expected of motor vehicle bodywork (crash criteria), especially as regards so-called offset crash situations, assume that with constructive means, a situation will be achieved such that even persons who are not wearing seat belts on the front seats in such an accident situation cannot come into contact with the A-pillar with their heads (head crash protection). For fulfillment of this safety requirement, it must be ensured that, in a frontal impact, the A-pillars are not, or are not noticeably, deformed into the internal space. This can be achieved thus: that a practically unavoidable gap or intervening space produced during manufacture of the bodywork between a front face of a front door and an adjoining outer side of the A-pillar is bridged at least partially with a blocking element acting as a crash support, so that the A-pillar, especially in an offset frontal impact, is promptly in contact with the front face of the door after moving previously through a minimum deformation, and supported on the latter so that, in this way, a transfer of the impact forces via the door into the rear areas of the bodywork is possible. In addition, the door or doors are at the same time strengthened adequately by construction measures such as shaft reinforcement and side impact reinforcements, in order to be capable of absorbing and transferring the forces arising safely. By means of the measures described, a movement or deformation of the A-pillar, above all of its upper part, into the internal space is avoided or reduced to a minimum, so that the risk of head injuries through impact by a deformed A-pillar is decisively reduced. However, the fitting of the blocking element cited is associated with a relatively high adaptation cost, in which the blocking element frequently does not bridge the intervening space ideally and as a consequence of this a not insignificant risk of head injuries remains.
The problem for the invention is to create an improved method for increasing the crash resistance of a motor vehicle in which, in an intervening space between a front face of a front door, adjoining an A-pillar and an outer side of the A-pillar facing the former, a blocking element is fitted, in which the assembly also will be significantly eased.